CorvairJim

Harry did a fantastic job picking this one for the game, considering it's a production-line piece! Believe it or not, it was made by Danbury Mint! They were at the top of their game when they made this gorgeous 1930 Cadillac 16.

Really, really REAL!!! (Nope, not this time... she's a model.)

Sonuvagun! Looking back, I see I forgot to gloat that I'd solved it on Monday. Oh well, maybe next week...

See, Jon, that's what you get for "Russian" to answer one of Harry's quizzes! The names of these Soviet cars come easily for those of us who read spy novels. Looking at the car, I think Ron has a point about it looking like a "Canadian Checker" - Is "Chaika" Russian for "Checker"?

It took a little research to find it, but I found it. For some reason, I flashed on the right manufacturer right off. Harry, whether or not I get it right, I ALWAYS have fun with this game!

From what I can tell, it's NOT a Saleen S7 - The divided rear window and the shape of the taillight panel are wrong. I want to say model here, but so many great details, like the reflections in the rear view mirrors and the delicate windshield wipers scream real for me to ignore them. I'll go with REAL this time around.

It came out as a Hot Wheels car about a year ago, sold as a "Chevrolet SS". The first version was a stock-appearing green car: ... And more recently, the second one was set up as a "Weekend Warrior":

Ooh!!! I know! I know! Teacher, call me! Call me!!!

I know this one, since the father of a friend of mine from my school days was the local dealer for this brand of car. Kinda cute, kinda sporty lookin' little roadster, isn't it? Never saw too many of them, though...

Tough call, but I'm going with MODEL on this one.

Harry, I just wanted to say how much I've enjoyed "Real or Model" and, as sad as I am to see it go as a regular feature, I understand how tough it must be to find worthy photos every two weeks. You've done a great job with the feature. I guess finding new ones that you post in the future will just be a pleasant surprise. If I find any pics that I think you might like, I'll forward them to you. Maybe others on here can do the same - just so long as they're honest when it comes to voting and commenting! Til then, please keep up the great work with the Auto ID game!

Skoda? I didn't see that coming!

As an aside, this very car went up at the RM Auction in Monterey last year, and went unsold with a high bid of $730,000, according to the December 2012 issue of Hemmings Motor News. Ironically, I just saw the article just a couple of days ago, after I voted on this poll (I'm a little behind on my "recreational reading"!). This car, OCF 002/68 driven by Tony DeLorenzo and Jerry Thompson, was SCCA A-Production Champion twice and was considered very competitive at both Daytona and Sebring. The car won 11 national events in it's career spanning 1969 through 1971. Hemmings says that, in their opinion, the price didn't go any higher because the car's restoration is over a decade old.

I'm going out on a limb and saying that this is, in fact, the honest-to-goodness, real deal L88 Corvette that Tony DeLorenzo and Jerry Thompson had so much success with in 1968 and '69. And also one of the all-time most beautiful race cars ever to originate in this country!

Ain't she a beauty? And I know what she is too!

Freestone & Webb did the coachwork? I thought sure Hooper designed and built this one!

I check back on this every so often to see if there's still any interest in it. I'm glad to see you're still pluggin' away at your Mustang, Michael! Looks like we're soon to see some "Black Sunshine" in this thread!

Well, it's pretty obviously a Rolls Royce from the mid to late 1950's through sometime in the early to mid 1960's That would narrow the model down to, I believe, a Silver Wraith, Silver Dawn, or a Phantom IV chassis. The bodywork isn't from the factory catalog as far as I know, but there were still several old-time coachbuilders doing fine custom work such as this in that timeframe, as well as several relative newcomers such as Pinin Farina. A little online research goes a long way, and is a lot of fun besides. That's a big part of the reason I like these games Harry does so much - Even if I don't find what it is I'm looking for, I almost always learn SOMETHING!

From back when people would actually go to the trouble of custom ordering their Rolls Royce the excat way they wantecd it. If you wanted a 6,000+ lb 2-place convertible, Rolls Royce would make it happen for you. Frankly, I don't know if that's even possible anymore with BMW at the helm. I don't know for sure if this is real or a model, but it's a great example of what would have been possible in the late 50's. I'm going to call it REAL.

My first thought when I saw this week's Mystery Car was, "Gee, that thing looks an awful lot like a Chrysler Sebring". So that's where I started my research. It turns out that, when that series of Sebring was replaced, Mother Mopar sold the car's tooling to Mother Russia or, more specifically, GAZ, parent company of Volga and the 2nd-largest auto producer in Russia. They had soon modified the car's appearance by revising the front and rear bumper covers, grille, and lighting, and they reworked the suspension for the realities of the poorer Russian roads by raising and stiffening it.

Anybody who goes back through old Auto I.D. results to find the answer is cheating! C'mon guys, Harry is doing a great job with this thing, so let's keep it honest, huh? The answer IS out there on the web. You just have to know where to look. Look at the picture. What does it look like? No go hunt it down. I did, I found it, and I found out some interesting background information about the car while I was at it too.

This has inspired me to think sreiously about converting one to a Bel Air Sport Sedan - That's a 4-door hardtop in Chevy-speak. My dad had one when my folks were first married, and he still says it was his all-time favorite car. It was a two-tone turquoise and white with the 348 power-pack/Turboglide drivetrain. Making those taillight housings might be tricky...

If this thing's real, Harry stumped us for sure. As of my MODEL vote, the tally stands at 8-1 for it being a model. So if I'm wrong, I'm in good company!

Darn! I knew it! That big ol' radiator on the front of a steam-powered car was a dead giveaway! Heck, even my old, 1920's vintage house has steam radiators.

I'll say it's real. It looks like one of the pre-season promotional photos of what the new graphics scheme will look like. (Danno: Harry DOES NOT Photoshop the "Real or Model" cars! He's a Photoshop artist, no doubt about it, but he keeps this game clean.)